Sonnet Echo Express SEL – Thunderbolt 3 Edition

Sonnet Echo Express SEL – Thunderbolt 3 Edition

1-slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Expansion System for Low-profile PCIe Cards

Connect a Low-profile PCIe Card to Computers with Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Shopping for a new computer? The latest ultra-light notebooks, small form factor and all-in-one Mac®, Windows®(1), and Linux® computers with Thunderbolt™ 3 ports are slender marvels of engineering that come with a cost—there’s nowhere to install PCIe cards that provide additional connectivity and processing capabilities. Sonnet’s Echo™ Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) is a compact, desktop Thunderbolt™ 3 to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect a low-profile PCIe card to any computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The Thunderbolt 3 Connection

Through its x8 PCIe 3.0 slot, this little expansion system supports many low-profile PCIe cards (Thunderbolt-compatible 16Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 40Gb and 10Gb Ethernet, video capture and processing, SAS and SATA host bus adapters, and RAID controllers) and connects it to your computer through a single Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Nearly Every Thunderbolt-compatible, Low-profile PCIe Card Supported

The Echo Express SEL accommodates a wide variety of PCIe cards. Do you have a card in mind but aren’t sure it’s compatible? We’ve put together a list in our supporting PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart (PDF). There you’ll find cards identified as conforming to Thunderbolt technology requirements, and organized by fit and power compatibility with specific expansion system.

Smart Design, Inside and Out
Aluminum Enclosure. Auto Power On/Off.

With a shell crafted of rugged and lightweight aluminum, Echo Express SEL securely houses the installed PCIe card. Inside, the card is protected through the use of a variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan which ensures the card and chassis’ components remain reliably cool. The fan automatically speeds up as necessary to cool the card when it’s hot, and slows down when it’s cool. Since Echo Express products automatically power on and off with your computer, there is no power switch on the chassis, ensuring you don’t waste energy by forgetting to turn it off.

Designed for Low-profile PCIe Cards

Echo Express SEL supports one half-length (up to 6.6 inches long), low-profile, single-width PCIe card; PCIe 1.1, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 3.0 cards are supported. Many of the most popular Thunderbolt-compatible high-speed networking and storage controller cards are a perfect fit, and even the BlueFish 444 Epoch 4K Neutron video card can be accommodated.

Quiet Please

Echo Express SEL is designed to be ultra-quiet so that it can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive environments. The airflow path within the chassis has been specially designed to enable the fan to quietly and efficiently cool the installed card at all times, even during peak operation.

Included at No Extra Charge
Thunderbolt 3 Cable. ThunderLok 3.

Sonnet includes a 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable that supports Thunderbolt 3’s full 2750 MB/s PCIe bandwidth. Sonnet also provides a ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip(2) that prevents accidental cable disconnections—just slide it over one end of the cable, and then plug in the connector and secure it to the chassis by turning a thumbscrew. Because of its unique design, ThunderLok remains on the cable so it won’t get lost when not in use.

Fastest External Interface Available

Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) features a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface, which offers double the PCIe bandwidth and connectivity of Thunderbolt 2, and yields up to 2750 MB/s of bandwidth, enabling it to support 4K video capture and processing cards at high frame rates, and 16Gb FC cards and dual-port 10GbE cards at full performance.(3)(4)

Thunderbolt 3 – The USB-C That Does It All

Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports; the first connects it to your computer, while the second supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices to a single port on your computer. The SEL also includes 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 support, meaning you can connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter. For connected peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to connected bus-powered devices. With the ability to handle multiple demanding, high performance PCIe cards, support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(5), and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt(6) and USB(7) devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way.

Specifications

Compatibility

Mac Compatibility

• Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Mac with a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt port with an Apple
• Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter plus a Thunderbolt 2 cable (both sold separately)
• macOS® 10.12.6+
• macOS Catalina compatible

Windows Compatibility(1)

• PC with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Windows 10 (64-bit Edition Version 1809 or greater)
• Important Note: Windows computers require the latest BIOS and Thunderbolt drivers to support this product. Check with your computer manufacturer for update information.

Linux Compatibility

• Linux computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Linux Kernel 5.0+

PCIe Card Compatibility

• For a list of compatible PCIe cards, view the PDF of Sonnet’s PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart

Hardware

Warranty

• 2-year

Form Factor

• Desktop expansion system

External Connectors

• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
• 12V power port

Expansion Slot

• One x8 PCIe 3.0 slot
• x8 mechanical; x4 electrical (Thunderbolt 3 spec)

PCIe Cards Supported

• One low-profile PCIe card

Power Adapter

• Universal 60W, 100-240V AC, 50-60 Hz
• NRTL Certified

Operating Temperature

• 0ºC to 35ºC (32ºF to 95ºF)

Dimensions (WxDxH)

• 4 x 8.25 x 2.8 in. (10.3 x 21 x 7.28 cm)

Weight

• 1.85 lbs (.84 kg)

RoHS Compliant

• Yes

Package Contents

• Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition)
• Universal power adapter
• Power cord
• 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable
• ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt Connector Retainer Clip(2)
• Documentation

Technical Notes

1. Not all Mac-compatible PCIe cards are also compatible with Windows; see Sonnet’s PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart (PDF) for details.
2. ThunderLok 3 compatible specifically with Sonnet 0.5- and 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables; Sonnet 1- and 2-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables require ThunderLok 3L.
3. While the Echo Express SE III features a 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface, some computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use an implementation of Thunderbolt 3 technology that limits PCIe performance to 20 Gbps. The MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) has this limitation in the two right-hand Thunderbolt 3 ports, while offering full performance from the left-hand ports.
4. Full performance requires the use of the included Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, or other Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cables; look for the Thunderbolt icon AND the number 3 on the connector housings to identify these cables.
5. Assuming that a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 connection is established, all Thunderbolt 3 computers support one 4K monitor directly attached to the pass-through Thunderbolt 3 port, without affecting PCIe bandwidth to the device. Using two 4K monitors or a single 5K monitor attached to the pass-through Thunderbolt 3 port reduces available PCIe bandwidth to the device. Two 4K monitors requires either: 1) for Thunderbolt 3 Macs or for Windows Thunderbolt 3 PCs that support two monitors—a Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort adapter; or 2) for Windows Thunderbolt 3 PCs that support two monitors—a 4K monitor with multi-stream transport support (DP out).
6. Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 peripheral devices on Macs used with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter plus a Thunderbolt 2 cable (both sold separately).
7. Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb) or Gen 2 (10Gb) devices when connected with proper cable or adapter (sold separately).